Initial Impressions of the Canon G9

[PapaBob]

The first rule of photography is “have a camera with you.” Like many of you I find it a pain to lug around a dSLR and assortment of lenses and attachments although I have both large and small backpacks for this purpose. I wanted a backup “point and shoot” but the vast majority of products in this category are directed at casual users shooting Jpegs and never uploading them to a computer for post processing. I was in NY at B&H shortly after Casio released its “prosumer” point and shoot, the Exilim EX-P600, in 2004. The camera has served me well and I have gotten more than my money’s worth out of it. The initial attraction was 6.0mp, optical viewfinder, good glass (from Canon!), passable 4x optical zoom, PC flash port (so I could use my older flash gear) ... and it would save TIFFs! Too bad the camera wrote TIFFs at a glacial pace (I could nap between shots) and the noise at ISOs above 100 was not acceptable.

I have periodically cruised DPReview for point and shoot cameras that can write RAW and save the data I need to really make the images sing in Adobe ACR and Photoshop CS3. I have not been thrilled with most of the in camera processing of Jpegs. So when Canon released the G9 at the end of August, I immediately read the initial descriptions. You can get the details BY CLICKING HERE. I have the good fortune of working two blocks from a Canon dealer and I was second on his list. I still can’t figure who beat me out but the shop must have helped him/her lighten a wallet more than mine over the years. I picked up the camera from his first shipment Wednesday after work. I am still playing with it but wanted to share my initial impressions.

The camera seems built like a tank. It is boxy (think small brick) and much heavier and slightly larger than my Exilim. This camera will not win any beauty contests so if you are looking for high techno-style, then look elsewhere. Functionality is a different story.

Wednesday night I unpacked the camera, loaded a purchased 2gb SD card (the 32mb SD that comes with the camera is useless) and found that it uses the same battery as my wife’s XT-i so I could pop a charged battery in without waiting for the one from the box to get juiced up. Of course, being a guy, I started playing with the camera without reading the instructions. If you have used a Canon dSLR, and have experience in digital photography, the dials, buttons and menus are not hard to figure out. There are some things I instantly fell in love with.

It has nice fast glass for a point an shoot and a 6x optical zoom. The zoom control is under the shutter button and it is easy to operate both with the right index finger.

It shoots RAW! Canon calls the RAW files CR2s but it is different than the 20d and the XT-i so I had to update the Canon software and install ACR4.2 and DNG converter 4.2. No biggie. The RAW files are huge, 14 to 18 mb. I can get 115 of them on a 2gb SD card which is about the same as I get on a 1gb with my 20D. The RAW resolution is 4000px x 3000px. That’s a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the 3:2 I am used to but I can always crop in ACR. If I want smaller files I always have the option of shooting in Jpeg or converting my RAWs to Jpeg after processing.

Power up is quick. Shutter lag is not bad. The big files write faster than I expected. All good so far.

The camera has a for real ISO dial on the top. What a great improvement! No more searching menus to change ISO or fiddling with ISO button and settings displayed on the EVF/Display. What took them so long!

While we are on the ISO kick I took some shots last night in room light at 400, 800 and 1600 iso. Yes there is noticeable noise. This is not a dSLR, but better than my Exilim or most point and shoots I have had the opportunity to play with. It will be acceptable for 4x6 prints and you can get a pleasing image with the Photoshop reduce noise filter (probably much better with a plug in like Noise Ninja). We will have to wait for the bench tests that will be coming out in the next couple months but I will probably be doing most of my shooting at ISO 80 to 200.

It has a canon flash shoe on the top so I can use my Canon flash. Even though my 550 predates the camera by a few years, the camera communicated with it nicely and it worked like a charm in ettl. It does not have a PC recepticle but a PC to Hot Shoe adapter is cheap and I bot one.

The program dial on top is laid out more like a pro camera than a point and shoot. The P, Tv, Av, M modes predominate with two custom presets you can load yourself (neat!). The Jpeg presets and icons are not on the dial. You turn the dial to SCN and they appear on a virtual dial in the EVF/Display. There are a lot of them and some new ones (to me at least). Color Accent, Color Swap, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Sports, Night Snapshot, Kids and Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, and an ISO 3200.

I do not plan to take the camera underwater. This requires a housing (natch) and I am not sure how well the underwater mode would work. Anyone considering using this camera for underwater photography would be better off in camera RAW anyway and doing adjustments in ACR and in Photoshop.

ISO 3200 is crap. I was curious. Do not get excited about this feature.

The EVF/Display is great! It is big and has nice review resolution and color. The menus are intuitive, uncluttered and nicely laid out. The EVF has two display preset options that let you “check a box” as to what you would like displayed and the set up is easy.

I have not had time to check the EVF menu settings, but you are offered the usual suspects for white balance, a series of color filters to scroll through, exposure or focus bracketing, flash and exposure compensation, three types of metering, and (big surprise) a 3 stop neutral density filter. I am not going to use a lot of these features if I am shooting RAW and processing in ACR, but it is nice to know they are there. The camera has very professional functionality.

It also has a movie mode I have not played with yet.

There is a face recognition feature (to get them all in focus). It actually works. It really identifies faces (if they are facing you). I have yet to try a group shot to see if it will get them all into focus. I hate it when I have opened up the aperture and the main subject is in focus but other faces in the group are not. Does anyone have a good way to solve this problem? Maybe Canon has. I will need to experiment further.

There is a neat image stabilization function. It will run continuous if you want to use the EVF without a lot of blur, but I think I am going to prefer it in “at time of shot” mode. After all, I am going to be using the optical viewfinder and not the EVF.

My preliminary impression is that I am going to have some fun with this camera in situations were I cannot or chose not to lug my dSLR and heavy glass.

—Bob

 

[PapaBob]

Just a short update. The optical viewfinder does not center images and is out of line at distances where parallax should not be an issue. This is a disappointment for me because I dislike using the EVF. I can fudge with a little “Kentucky windage” but should not have to.

I took some outdoor shots over the weekend at 80 and 100 ISO. The resolution is fantastic for a point and shoot. I also took some indoor shots with better light at 400 ISO. With adequate light noise is not a problem.

If I have some time over the next week or so, I will get the energy to prepare and post some examples.

—Bob

 

[dhaas]

Good insights from Bob, and here's some more for interested shooters.

The Canon G9 is one capable camera. Look for some incredible pictures to be produced as people who want more than a P&S but less than a dSLR system take it underwater since housings are available, including Ikelite's newest housing with eTTL capability.

I have used numerous P&S and mid-range cameras like this, and with a 3" LCD I find it hard to believe people still use viewfinders The G9 one is one of the best even in bright light. Too each his own, though

RAW is touted as a significant advantage over the Canon G7, but getting a good expsoure is more important. You can't post process crap into art, no matter what anyone says!

For a great information site visit MyCanonG7 where Siegfried has wrung the capability out of numerous cameras, including the G7, soon to be tested G9 and others. He is a breath of fresh air on the web talking about real shooting tips plus limitations and advantages of these non-dSLR cameras

dhaas

 

[alcina]

Fabulous write up to get us started.

Thanks for the new link, dhaas.

Mod post: this thread is now a link in the Sticky! Photos are always good, though

 

[PapaBob]

DHass: Great link! Thanks. Although I have a housed 20D I am seriously considering buying a housing for this one too. It has a hot shoe and I already have an investment in Ike digital strobes. Lets see what kind of housing they come up with.

Neanderthals are slow to evolve. I still have to get used to the EVF. The OVF on mine is useless. See my next post.

Alcina: Thanks for the kind words. I hope we will have some others contribute to this thread.

---Bob

 

[PapaBob]

Some sample images from the new G9. The following image was shot at ISO 400, f-3.5 and 1/80sec. It was centered in the optical viewfinder so you can see the out of alignment issue. Regardless, the picture is great. It was loaded into ACR and I applied a “no adjustments” preset. As the name implies, this is WYSIWYG with no enhancement in ACR.

This is the same image with a crop to show you how great the resolution is in this camera. It exceeded my expectations.

The following is an outdoor image shot in ISO 80, f-5.0 at 1/250 sec. Again, no adjustments in ACR. Even at a greater distance from subject you will note the lack of center when shot through the OVF.

Finally, the same image with a tight crop.

Please let me know if there is something else you want me to try out.


—Bob

 

[SCOOBA PHAN]

i saw what looks to be a downer to me on the ike web site yesterday. Ikelite Underwater Housings for Canon G7 & G9 Cameras they have the g9 housing on it now but it says you can not use a wide angle lens on it due to the length of the lens if i am undersstanding it right. also there seems to be a difference if you are using the inon strobes in that they will not work as well. i am hopeing i am not understanding this right as i have the lenses and the strobes and was just wainting for the housing to come out to upgrade. let me know how you all understand it. tom

 

[dhaas]

Scooba Phan,

You can use a wide angle adapater on the ikelite Canon G9 housing, by adding the shorter port option. This limits the zoom range, although this isn't a big deal underwater since when using the Ikelite W20 lens you will leave the Canon G9 lens set at its widest point anyway.

When shooting macro with this shorter port alone you shouldn't zoom all the way out. Mid-way through the Canon G9 zoom range, and hitting the macro (flower) icon puts you in a nice range, about 10" or so from a subject filling the frame anyway. Easier to aim your strobes, too......

You CAN use another brand strobe as Ikelite makes cords for these, but the housing's TTL circuitry only works with Ikelite DS series Substrobes. So you'd be back to manual setting everything on this high tech camera Ugh.......

Hope this helps......

dhaas

 

[SCOOBA PHAN]

thanks for the answers, although they were not exactly what i wanted to hear as i have the inon z-240. oh well. thanks alot . tom

 

[PapaBob]

My local camera pro says 80% of equipment complaints on the internet are attributable to user error and not equipment malfunction. I am guilty as charged. We worked through my Optical View Finder (OVF) out of alignment issues with the G9 by shooting a series of test targets horizontal and vertical. The RAW image has a 4:3 aspect ratio rather than the 35mm standard 3:2. If I crop my images from the bottom (horizontal hold) and from the left hand side (vertical hold) for a 3:2 aspect ratio then the image OVF is right on target. My only question is why Canon centered the OVF for 3:2 and did not center the OVF for 4:3.

There is a long discussion on FredMiranda.com on the G9. I will summarize a few of the high points.

There is a debate as to whether Canon tried to stuff too many pixels on the sensor to keep ahead in the “pixel wars.” The theory of some posters is that there would be less noise in an 8 or 10mp sensor. One user suggests that downsizing from 12mp to 8mp in ACR would have the same effect as stuffing less pixels on the sensor so you have not lost anything. I am waiting credible bench tests but my anecdotal results show great resolution and low noise at 80 and 100 ISO. See my prior test shots.

Another debate is whether this is a good “backup camera.” Almost all say “no” but, to be fair, they are debating in the context of a backup on a wedding, model, product, or other professional shoot. Most would prefer a 40D or XT-i as the backup to their EOS 1Ds or 5D. This is a point and shoot and I consider it a great backup to my 20D or XT-i, or for the times when I do not want to lug the dSLRs and lenses around. One pro took the G9 on a product shoot as a backup to his/her dSLR and took some test shots with it. A G9 shot was allegedly selected by the client.

Others complain about noise in the shadows but I am not finding this a problem at low ISOs for what I have been shooting. Again, the results from scientific tests should objectively show how this camera will perform.

Others grouse about the price of the camera. Wait a year and I am sure the price will be in the $300 range.

I tried autobracketing exposures today and converted them to HDR images in Photoshop. It took a while to figure it out but the initial results are promising.

I am still pleased with my purchase and I am having fun with the camera.

—Bob